EBooks - Fiction and NonFiction

Animals can be sneaky. But do you know who is especially sneaky? Undercover ostriches! They're everywhere, and they're masters at going undetected. You've probably seen one and just assumed it was another woodpecker or owl. The narrator of this book is on the case, following a single ostrich on his many adventures. Not until the final twist does author and illustrator Joe Kulka let the readers in on the narrator's true motivation: a peanut collection mission involving undercover elephants.

No one wants a skunk. They are unwelcome on front stoops. They should not linger in Important Rock Rooms. Skunks should never, ever be allowed to move in. But Skunk is Badger's new roommate, and there is nothing Badger can do about it. When Skunk plows into Badger's life, everything Badger knows is upended. Tails are flipped. The wrong animal is sprayed. And why-oh-why are there so many chickens' "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

To lure pretty Epily, little chick Abelard sees only one solution: to catch the moon for her. So off he goes to America, the country that invented flying machines. Armed with his banjo and his proverb-sharing hat, he launches out on the country roads, where he meets Gaston, a grumpy bear with whom he shares his plan. As opposed to dreamer Abelard, Gaston has his feet firmly planted on the ground. This humorous comic, where the absurd becomes poetry, explores philosophical ideas through a simple, fanciful story.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. military to ban anyone from certain areas of the country, with primary focus on the West Coast. Eventually the order was used to imprison 120,000 people of Japanese descent in incarceration camps such as the Rohwer Relocation Center in remote Desha County, Arkansas. This time of fear and prejudice (the U.S. government formally apologized for the relocations in 1982) and the Arkansas Delta are the setting for Camp Nine. The novel's narrator, Chess Morton, lives in tiny Rook Arkansas. Her days are quiet and secluded until the appearance of a "relocation" center built for what was, in effect, the imprisonment of thousands of Japanese Americans. Chess's life becomes intertwined with those of two young internees and an American soldier mysteriously connected to her mother's past. As Chess watches the struggles and triumphs of these strangers and sees her mother seek justice for the people who briefly and involuntarily came to call the Arkansas Delta their home, she discovers surprising and disturbing truths about her family's painful past.

Stuck-up Ferdy Factual learns that friendship takes more than just smarts Brother and Sister Bear try to welcome the new cub in town by taking him to school on his 1st day. They quickly learn that Ferdy Factual, son of the famous scientist Actual Factual, is brilliant at math, science, and chess-but he isn't good at making friends. With the help and patience of the Bear family, Ferdy will finally come to realize that there may be more to school than just books.

Aerin is an outcast in her own father's court, daughter of the foreign woman who, it was rumored, was a witch, and enchanted the king to marry her. She makes friends with her father's lame, retired warhorse, Talat, and discovers an old, overlooked, and dangerously imprecise recipe for dragon-fire-proof ointment in a dusty corner of her father's library. Two years, many canter circles to the left to strengthen Talat's weak leg, and many burnt twigs (and a few fingers) secretly experimenting with the ointment recipe later, Aerin is present when someone comes from an outlying village to report a marauding dragon to the king. Aerin slips off alone to fetch her horse, her sword, and her fireproof ointment.

Mischa ""Ish"" Love's celestial-sized dreams for a future on Mars go heartbreakingly awry when her best friend moves away and an unexpected medical diagnosis threatens to rewrite her future.

The pressure's really piling up on Greg Heffley. His mom thinks video games are turning his brain to mush, so she wants her son to put down the controller and explore his creative side. As if that's not scary enough, Halloween's just around the corner and the frights are coming at Greg from every angle. When Greg discovers a bag of gummy worms, it sparks an idea. Can he get his mom off his back by making a movie ... and will he become rich and famous in the process? Or will doubling down on this plan just double Greg's troubles?

The rhythmic poetry of this selection will have children asking for more as they learn about the sleeping habits of various North American animals, including eagles, moles, moose, alligators, and beavers. The expository text that accompanies each spread provides enough content to satisfy young students and encourage slightly older kids to do further research. Ending each entry with a question, the author asks readers to compare their own sleeping habits with those of the creatures covered. The soft, lifelike illustrations of slumbering beasts enhance the text. The final page depicts a child in bed with stuffed toys, making this offering a soothing bedtime story. VERDICT A solid read-aloud that may inspire some to seek out more information.

In Dragon Ball Culture Volume 3: Battle, you’ll discover the origin of Goku’s training mentality. You’ll see how Akira Toriyama combines thousands of years of martial arts history and modern cinema together to create the Tenkaichi Budōkai. And you’ll hear how Dragon Ball almost gets cancelled, but then changes its format to become the world’s most recognized anime and manga series.
Travel alongside Goku as he becomes the disciple of the world’s greatest martial artist, meets his new training partner, and competes in the largest tournament on Earth. Will this wild monkey boy gain the discipline he needs to become the champion?

Miss Fox's class assumes their teacher's association with a police officer is something other than what it really is.

Mark Twain's masterpiece and the greatest of American novels Tom Sawyer's best friend, Huckleberry Finn, takes center stage in this classic tale of boyhood adventure. Fleeing his drunken father and the civilizing influence of the Widow Douglas, Huck and the runaway slave Jim pilot a log raft down the mighty Mississippi River. The colorful characters and dramatic situations they encounter along the way--from bloodthirsty thieves lurking in an abandoned steamboat to a pair of aristocratic conmen dead set on robbing Arkansas blind--draw the two escapees closer together, until Huck is forced to make a fateful choice between Jim's freedom and his own salvation.

Growing up is never easy, but thirteen-year-old Matt Echbar is finding it particularly difficult. His widowed father is too busy for him, and his grandfather is an embarrassment, an unschooled Basque shepherd whose language and customs are completely alien to Matt's all-American lifestyle. Matt is in serious trouble at school, and his father is threatening to move them back to the grandfather's farm to help the old man. Things only get worse when his grandfather steals a flock of sheep and dragoons Matt into helping him drive them to a secret camp high in the Arizona mountains.
As Matt and his aitatxi, accompanied by their two faithful sheepdogs, drive the flock across the burgeoning suburbs of Phoenix and into the remote mountains, the boy learns the ancient skills of the sheepherder and discovers the unexpected wisdom that has given his Old Country grandfather the strength and patience of a sturdy oak.

A high school student's search for identity unfolds in the backdrop of the chaos and tragedy of 9/11 in this honest and heartfelt novel by a recent high school graduate. Love, faith, animosity, and friendship struggle for balance as protagonist Justin Baker works through the 13 seminal d9ays of his senior year. Already ensconced in a sometimes-bewildering life of high school intrigue, nocturnal pranks, and chance encounters with Vanilla Ice, the tragedy of 2001 informs Justin's rite of passage into adulthood, inspiring him to discover himself and the purpose of society. Written as a series of journal entries, teenagers will be moved by the intimacy of the language and the unique vividness of 9/11 as it is experienced though the eyes of a 17-year-old.

Let's Visit Israel is a cute book about Israel. It begins with a drawing of a plane landing in Israel and follows a little boys journey on a bus through the hills in Jerusalem, walk along the roads in the Old City, visit to a kibbutz, boat ride in Eilat, cable car ride at Masada, and swim in the Dead Sea.

The Boy of Chancellorville and Other Civil War Stories is an unforgettable collection of stories for and about children during the Civil War, with contributions from American luminaries such as Louisa May Alcott, Ambrose Bierce, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Walt Whitman. The book reveals that the war affected the lives of children differently than their mothers and fathers: some looked at it as a grand adventure and for others it was a puzzling, premature end to childhood. James Marten includes accounts from nearly every viewpoint-boys and girls, Northerners and Southerners, blacks and whites-and various situations, ranging from life on the home front to confronting enemy soldiers to the aftermath of the war. Each story begins with a short introduction to place it in its literary context and explains the author's connection to the war.

In 1687 in Connecticut, Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.

Every school has its secrets, but in Ms. Snickle's classroom the secrets are extraordinary, and when Lacey sets out to learn and tell them all, she puts Ms. Snickle's job in jeopardy.

In medieval England, eleven-year-old Piers' dream comes true when he becomes page to Parsifal, a peasant whose quest for knighthood reveals important secrets about both of their families.

In the summer before World War I, nine-year-old Anna is happy to spend a week at her aunt and uncle's Beltsville, Maryland, farm until she meets Theodore, who calls her a "city slicker" and spurs her to prove that she's just as clever and brave as he is.

Nick, a deaf seventh grader, befriends a mysterious girl who is training and protecting a pack of valuable sheepdogs on her own.

Lynet, a feisty young woman, journeys to King Arthur's court in order to find a champion to rescue her beautiful older sister, and she is joined in her quest by a clever dwarf and a bold kitchen knave, neither of whom are what they seem.

From the first colonization at Roanoke Island, the bizarre and inexplicable have shrouded the Tar Heel State. From history and legend, John Harden records ominous events that have shaped or colored state history.

Brrr ... does it feel cold? Get out your gloves and get ready to experience the Ice Age! In Explore the Ice Age! with 25 Projects, readers ages 7-10 discover what an ice age consists of, why we have them, and what effect an ice age has on living organisms and ecosystems, paying particular attention to the most recent Ice Age, which is the only one humans were around to witness.

Courageous Malala Yousafzai survived an assassination attempt for advocating for the education of girls in her home country of Pakistan. This book describes her incredible story, including her advocacy work on behalf of women and girls on an international scale following her attack, and how she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prizeall while she was still in her teens. Young readers will discover how important her parents' support has been to the young activist and gain an understanding of the culture in which Yousafzai was raised. The world can always use more positive female role models, and Yousafzai's youth and forthrightness make it easy for young readers to relate to her.

Fifteen-year-old Christine is visiting her eccentric great-aunt in historic Witcombe, where a pickpocket has been victimizing tourists. Aunt Maude owns an antique store and also runs the town's ghost walk, which gives Christine the opportunity to meet local characters and visitors, including a mysterious young man who seems to know far too much about the crimes. When the pickpocket targets Aunt Maude's store, Christine is determined to find out who is behind the thefts. Her search takes her through the nooks and crannies of the quaint town full of stories, and she unearths more than one surprise.

For fans of In a Dark, Dark Wood and Survive the Night comes a pulse-pounding, psychological thriller from the author of Six Months Later. Damaged, Deceptive, Dangerous, Darling. When a group of teens wake up in the woods, these words are inked onto their skin. Are they labels' A warning' They must find the truth before a killer finds them.

n this delightful tale of the power of the imagination, Art's suppiles come to life in the studio, creating mayhem and magic--and art! Pastels, pencils and paints, crayons, brushes and markers, everything gets in the act of creating a mess-terpiece of fun.

Francie, seventeen, leaves summer school and auditions in New York City for Enchantment Lake in the woods of northern Minnesota when her great-aunts call and ask for her help investigating a mystery that centers on a road no one wants built, and on the legendary treasure said to be under enchantment.

Thirteen-year-old Grace is not looking forward to her summer vacation. She'll have to fend for herself and take care of her siblings while her mom smokes the day away in the back bedroom of the cabin. But when an unexpected companion shows up in the middle of a crisis, she gains hope that maybe the summer won't be a disaster after all. In Grace Above All, readers will experience a young summer romance and join Grace in gaining a newfound appreciation of family.

In 1920s Minnesota, life is hard for nineteen-year-old Owen Jensen and his family after their father dies but gets considerably worse when Owen becomes involved in the deaths of a sheriff and deputy. Inspired by real events in early 1920s Minnesota, and by Mary Casanova's own family history,Ice-Outis at once a story of young romance against terrible odds and true grit on the border between license and responsibility, rich and poor, and right and wrong in early twentieth-century America.

Big Pirate Pete's treasure map has led him to Seabreezy Library, where Library Lou must convince him that the true treasure is the books.

The phonics focus of this book helps teachers looking for materials to fit specific lesson plans, but the stories never feel educational. Let's play princess, said Pig. I will give you three wishes, says Twig. But three wishes are not enough for Princess Pig. She wants four, then five, then six! Pig and Twig are friends, but Pig is being demanding. What will Twig do? Princess Pig features the short i sound, a bossy pig, and a friend who knows when to say No!

Third-grader Ishan Mehra wants his family to get a dog, but his efforts to convince his parents often get him into trouble.

Frog enjoys a summer with his friends as he compares himself to a bat, takes a vacation, and meets a Starman who helps him to see the night sky in a new way.

Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class, and to the nobles who destroyed their home. When Sal steals a flyer for an audition to become a member of The Left Hand -- the Queen's personal assassins, named after the rings she wears -- Sal jumps at the chance to infiltrate the court and get revenge. But the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials.

In the winter of 1898, 13-year-old Ben Ward drops out of the seventh grade to work as a cook's helper for his pa at the Blackwater Logging Camp in Minnesota. He soon discovers that long days of cooking flapjacks, peeling potatoes, and washing dishes under the supervision of his cranky father is not the life of adventure he wants. He would rather be out in the woods with the lumberjacks, chopping trees, sawing wood, and driving a team through the snowy forests. Ben finds himself caring more about his job after Pa hires an orphan boy to help, and a rivalry develops between the two boys. In time, Ben comes to appreciate the importance of his father's work; he also manages to learn much about himself through his interactions with the lumberjacks, who seem to have an inexhaustible supply of hilarious, outrageous tales.

en-year-old Maria, an orphaned heiress living with her unpleasant guardians on a crumbling English estate called Malplaquet, finds her life changing in unimagined ways when she explores an overgrown island on the estate's lake and discovers the descendants of Gulliver's Lilliputians.